Coating-machine.



F. E BERHAHT.. commu/MACHINE.

APPLCATION FILED OCT. 7, 1912.

Pmmlbed MW ZLNN.

'init maenner, or Newman;

new. pensier, nfssien'on ro or new Yoan, n. iz.; a conroiaarroii or Newmassi,

coiiniriidcnmie.

incassa.

To allwhom zm'ay concerm Be it known 'that LFELIX EBERHART, a

citizen of'V the United States, 'residing in" Newark, in lthe county ofEssex and State of New Jersey, have invented a' new and use? fulImprovement in Coating-Machines,foff

' J "andl covered by an openmesh wire or gauze f wire or gauze 13 beingsmall enough to vprevent the smallest size can ends or other articlesto'be coated from falling therethrough, and yet `adaptedto support and-retain vthe can ends or other exposed, no matter fhow irregularly or:disorderly arwhich the followingis a specicatioin This invention.relates to improvements inicoating machines such as are adapted tocoatl either by spraying orv otherwisecan vends An objectof theinvention-is to provide a coating machine which is adapted to coat' orspray can ends of different sizes without-v i' the necessity ofadjustingany of theparts or without addition to or elimination'oil parts.-

Another obJect of the inventlon 1s to provide a coating machine ofthetype above indicated, in which Vthe coating or spraying of the can ends'or other articles is done vunder a hoOd which is provided with meansfor exhausing o r withdrawingjthe volatile fumes which commonly arisefrom coating for lacquering materials such as are used or coating canends.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tank for collecting theheavy yor solid parts of the coating material which drop through theconveyer or between the 'interstices of the can ends, thus effecting asav-4 ing inmaterial and cost of operation.

The invention furthermore consists in thev improvements inthe parts anddevices and in the novel combinations of parts'a'nd'devices hereinshown, described or claimed... l.

In .the drawing forming a partof thisspecicatiomFigure .1 illustratesone form of a machine embodying'my improvements, the same' being partly:in elevation l and partly in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a ,lon-

.gitudinah sectional view, taken approximately on a plane coincidingwiththe yupper face oi the conveyer,.'showing iny full lines a number of canends regularly disposed on'.

the conveyer, and in dottedlines, a Inumber. of can 'ends irregularlydistributed andarw. ranged on the conveyer. Fig. 3 is an en-Q larged,detail, sectional view, taken` sub: stantially Von the line 3 3 of Fig.1 and Fig. 4 is adetail, enlarged view of av portion of the improvedform of conveyer.

lin the drawing, denotes the endless conveyer carried by andsupportedonconspecificati@ @f ieftiersraimf I application med @meer 7,wie. senti no. 'reirse'.

Patented 'May 21,

lurality lof link members 12, 12, pivota ly ,connected together 13, 'themesh of the articles with one facesof each ranged thereon.

amienionivgcnn colvirniir,

70 1 placed'` upon the conveyer either" by an op-5' er'ator or, as shownin the drawing, by allowing the same to feed thereon down a chute' 14leading from a can end punching or other machine.- The conveyer 1'0,with the can ends or other articles thereon, is

adpted'to pass lthrough an `incloscol hood latter being provided at` orchamber 15, the

the bottom athereof with a collecting 1 tank l16, adapted to be emptiedor drained as by means of a' drain cock' 17. lln the top of vthe hoodare placed two coatingdevices 18, which, as' shown, are in the form ofspraying heads provided with adjustable valves 19, each spray headbeingsupplied with thev lacquer or otherl material from a supply tank-'by means of a pipe 21. Fo-r causing the coating material to spray in themanner shown by the dotted-lines in Fig. 1,"

each -spray 'head lis connected toa suitable source of compressed air(not shown) by means of auf air tube 22. For conducting od' orexhausting the volatile' fumes which arise from the coating. materialthe hood lxisg provided with a pair of outlets-23 the gases or fumesbeing exhausted to the After the can ends or otherarticles havecommunicating `with `the exhaust pipe 24,

been' coated, `the same are preferablyl conveyed through a .drying'oven26 through which the endless conveyer passes.

vAfter l .the articles have been coated and dried, the

same may be taken from the conveyer after the vlatter. emerges from thedrying oven'by I an operator orl allowed to? fallv oft ofthe conveyerinto` a suitable receptacle, as the conveyer passes around the sprocketgear 1l.

From the foregoing description, it will beseen that with my improvedform of conveyer,`the articles to be coated may be rap- Aor explosionsor liability .of injury to operators resulting from breathing the fumes;that practically no coating material 4is l wasted, since all of the samewhich fails to be deposited on the can ends-or other articles andcarried off thereby, falls through vthe open work conveyer and iscollected to be subsequentlyreusedythat can ends or otherarticles ofvarious sizes may be sprayed or coated without changing or adjusting anyof the parts and without' even stopping the'machine; and that can endsof various sizes may be coated simultaneously. The

'apparatus which I have described, is par-l ticularly useful in smallfactories Where the expense of a high pricedA coating machine cannot beaii'orded, and where only a few hundred or thousand-ends of each sizeare adaptedto be coated at a time.

This machine is particularly adapted to the coating of' can ends used`in forming what are known in the trade as open end or sanitary cans,wherein the end closures are attached to the anged ends of the canbodiespby an interfolded seam or joint. The principal object of coatingthe interior 'of such cans is to cover up all metallic surfaces and allabrasions caused by the necessaryy handling and manipulationduringmanufacture. As is Well known, commercial tin Aplate is composed ofsheet steel carryin a -fthin coating of pure metallic tin applied in amolten condition. In the coating of tin plate it is the intention andthe endeavor to cover every bit ofl surface of the steel sheet withthetin, but this is seldom accomplished owing to minute specks of `oxidization or imperfections that seem impossible to eliminate;therefore,`.every sheet of commercial plate has moreor less of itssurface, comprising spots readily visible to the eye down to microscopicspots, uncoated, and subject to attack from the acids of food productswhen the sheets are made into cans.

Also, in forming can ends with dies the tin coating is more or lessruptured at the bends and angles, thus further exposing the steelsurfaces to oxidizing action.

v vIt is desirable to coat the surface of the can ends immediately afterthey are formed, so as to completely cover all abrasions, ruptures orexposed spots with an impervious substance or lacquer that is preferablyacid and alkalirproof and thus create a surface on the inside of foodcontainers that will effectively protect the metals of .the containeragainst the corrosive, action'of thev contents.

Theconstruction and arrangement of this machine is such that it willsuccessfully handle a coating material of a heavy nature, and operatecontinuously without interference from gumming up. l

The conveyer constructed j of very open meshwork permits excess coatingmaterial topass through and be collected for further use and such aslremains on the meshwork of the conveyer is'continuously being bakedthereon intoa hard smooth surface which is a very `essential feature,otherwise the surfaces of the can ends resting on the conveyer wouldbecome streakedwith the coating matei'ialand present an unsightlyappearance;

besides they would stick to the conveyer and cause no end of trouble, ifthe adhering coating was not baked onto the conveyer mesh- Workeach'time it passed through the oven.

`Of course, in time the mesh-work will bei easily done by immersion fora time in a` suitable solvent.

If the conveyer was made with a solid or unbroken surface instead of alarge open mesh, theaccumulation of coating material on the conveyersurface would be so rapid, and would build up so fast, that'it would benext to impossible to bake it hard each time it passed throughthe ovenand it would e soon become a mass of gummy, sticky substance and preventfurther operation of the machine.

' Coatings of this nature and for this purpose require highly volatileand odorous solvents and suitable provision must be made for carryingaway the fumes arising from the spraying station and the baking oven.

-In machines for coating can ends that require a baking operation toeffect the drying and hardening of the coating, that have articleholders or 'mechanism for controlling oi' separating the articles, soonbecome inoperative from the excess accumulation of coating material onthe machine parts. These parts, from the nature of their requirementsmust be constructed of stift' and rigid metal and consequently have somuch body that they heat slowly when passing through the oven andthereby prevent the coating they carry from baking to a hard smoothsurface, so that it is always sticky, collects dirt and dust, and causesa direct interference with the proper baking of the articles or can endscarried thereby.

A can end is made of thin metal and is quickly heated to the temperatureof the baking or drying oven; it is necessary to have the conveyingmechanism equally thin, so that the adhering coating is baked hard eachtime it passes through the oven, thereby presenting a smooth` hardsurface to the operation.

Owing to the fact that I have entirelyI entering can ends and permittingcontinuous operation. The construction ofmy conveyer being of very thinrods, strips, or peri -forated material, none of which need be muchthicker than the tin plate, willheat quickly and thereby facilitate thebaking' eliminated individual can endholders of every1 description, andconstructed a tlat top conveyer of skeleton construction, l am .enabledto coat and bake can ends of different l size and of 'dierent characterat the same time without any change or addition to any 'of themechanism, and also produce a machine thatwill operate continuously fora long period without interferencefrom the coating material and producecoated can ends that are entirely coated 'on one side and entirely freefrom coating materialen the other side. r f

Various changes and modifications may be made in the details andarrangement of the p arts without departing from the spirit of the.invention, and all such changesl vand modifications are Acontemplated asfall within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim ri l. ln a machine for lacquering sheet metal articles ofvarious sizes and irregularly distributed, in combination: anendlesscona veyer consisting otflatandshelf like mem.

bers, each member comprising a flat section of open mesh wire and'pivotsconnecting said members, one limb of said conveyer when extended,forming a lat support; means for supporting and actuating said endlessconveyer; a coating chamber inclosing the article-supporting limb ofsaid conveyer; means within said chamber foiape plying lacquer in theform of a spray to the sheet metal articles; means at the lower part ofsaid chamber for collecting the excess lacquer; means for withdrawingfumes from the, said chamber; and a drying oven inclosing the saidsupporting limb ofthe conveyer.

2. In a machine for lacqueringsheet metal articles of various sizesandirregularly dis-ll tributed, in combination: an endless conv eyerconsisting of flat and shelf like mem- ',bers, each member comprisinglinks, pivots connecting said links and a flat section of l open meshwire connected with the said pivots, one limb of said conveyer whenextended. forminga flat support; means for supporting and actuating saidendless conveyer; a coating chamber inclosing the articlelsupportinglimb of said conveyer; means within said chamber for applying lacquer inthe form of a spray to the sheet metal articles; means at the lower partof said chamber for collecting the excess lacquer; means for withdrawingfumes from the said chamber; and a drying oven inclosing the saidsupporting limb of the conveyer.

3. ln a -machine for lacquering sheet metal articles of various sizesand irregularly distributed, in combination: an endless con veyerconsisting. ot' fiat and shelf like inem# bers, each member comprisinglinks, pivots connecting said links and a flat section of open mesh wireconnected with the said piv-v ots, one limb of said. conveyer when ex ptended,`forming a flat support; means for supporting and actuating saidendless conveyer; a coating chamber inclosing the article-supportinglimb vot said conveyer; a chute for feeding sheet metal articles to thesaid limb of the conveyer in advance of said coating chamber; meanswithin said chamber for applying lacquer inthe form of a spray tothesheet metal articles; means at -thelower part of said chamber forcollecting the excess'lacquer; means for withdrawing fumes from the saidchamber; and a drying oven inclosing the said supporting on theconveyer; and a receptacle for excess coating arranged underl thecarrying limb of open. mesh wire of said conveyer; substantiallyfasspecified.

.5. lin a: machinerfor coating can heads and other articles, incombination: a conveyer having an. article-supporting surface of:openwork wire mesh for conveying the articles to .be coated; means.for'spraying and coating the articles arranged above onelilnb of thesaid conveyer; a hood inclosing said sprayingmeans' and said limb of theconveyer;`mea`ns in the lower'partof said hood beneath saidflimb oftheconveyer for collecting the excess of coatiing, which paes through theconveyer; exhausting means for carrying away fumes from within saidhood; and adrying oven arranged beyond the said hood and inclosing thesaid limb of the conveyer.

'6.' A machine for coating can ends, comprising a spraying station; adrying or bak ing station;and a surplus spray collecting receptacle; aconveyer member constructed of relatively thin material to forman openmesh structure, and adapted to receive on its surface in disarrangedorder can ends to be coated, said conveyer being movable past saidspraying station, said collecting receptacle and lthrough said dryingorbaking oven; means for projecting a spray of coating material onto canends being conveyed and onto the exposed parts of said conveyer and intosaid receptacle; and means for heating said baking oven to a temperaturesufficient to harden and bake the sprayed coatingon said can ends and onsaid conve er during their passage therethrough.

. A machine for coating can ends, comprising a spraying station; adrying or bak- 4 ing station; anda surplus spray collecting receptacle;a continuously movable conveyer member constructed of relatlvely thin.material forming an open mesh structure and "adapted to receive on itslsurface in disar-` v'ranged order can ends to-be coated, said conveyer'being movable past said. spraying station,

receptacle; and means for heating said bak- 20.

said through said drying or baking oven; 'means forlprojecting a sprayof coating material onto can ends being conveyed and onto the exposedparts of said con'veyer and into said ing oven to a-v temperaturesuiicient Vto harden and'bake the sprayed' coating on said can ends andon said conveyer during their I jpassagetherethrough.

8. A machine for coating can ends, com-l prisingl a spraying station adrying or baking station; and a surplus spray collection receptacle; acontinuously movable horizontal conveyer member composed of relativelythin strips or rods forming an open mesh structure, andadapted toreceive onits surface in disarranged order can ends v to be coated, saidconveyer being movablev past said spraying station, said collecting`receptacle and through said drying or baking oven; means for projectinga spray of coating material onto can ends belng conveyed and onto theexposed parts of said .conveyer and into said receptacle; and meanslthrough.,

9. A machine for coating can ends, comprising a spraying statlon; adrying or baking station; and a surplus spray collecting receptacle; 'aconveyer member. composed of relatively thin material forming an openmesh structure; means for. placing on its surface in disarranged ordercan ends to be coated, said conveyer being movable past saidspraying'station, saidcollecting recepcollecting receptacle f an ofcoating material onto -tacleand through said drying or bakin veyerduring their passage therethrough.

10. A machine for coating can ends, comprising a spraying station; adrying or baking station; anda surplus spray collecting receptacle; acontinuously moving conveyer vmember composed of relativelythin materialforming anopen mesh structure; means for placing on its surface indlsarranged order can endsto bel coated, said conveyer being movablebetween said spraying station and said collecting receptacle and throughsaid drying or baking oven; means for projecting a spray of coatingmaterial .onto can ends being conveyed, and onto the 'exposed parts ofsaid conveyer and into said receptacle; and means for heating saidbaking oven to y a temperature sufficient to harden and bake the sprayedcoating on said can ends and on said conveyer during their passagetherethrough.

11. A machine for coating can ends, comprising a spraying station vandan exhausting4 station; a drying or baking station; and a surplus spraycollecting receptacle; a con- .veyer member composed of relatively thinmaterial forming an open mesh structure, adapted to receive on itssurface in disarranged order can ends to be coated and movable past saidspraying station, said collecting receptacle and through said drying orbaking oven; means for projecting a spray can ends bein conveyed andonto the exposed parts o said conveye'r and into said receptacle; andmeans for lheatin said baking oven to a temperature s uilicient to.harden and vbake the sprayed coating on said can ends and said conveyerduring their passage there.- through.l

FELIX EBERHART.

Witnesses:

W. D. FOSTER, C. W. GRAHAM.

